Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo talks to Keith Appling during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Ohio State at the Big Ten tournament Saturday, March 16, 2013, in Chicago. Ohio State won 61-58.AP Photo

CHICAGO -- Mistake-prone Michigan State came close to
advancing to the Big Ten tournament final, but fell short against a top-10 team
in Ohio State.

The three-point loss at the United Center on the surface was
no crying shame, but Spartans coach Tom Izzo does hope the team will "grow up a
little bit" in preparation for the NCAA tournament.

"There's a difference at one-and-done time," Izzo said. "You
have to somehow find a way to make your guys understand that the mistake at the
beginning of the game is the same as the mistake at the end of the game.

"One-and-done time, some can handle it, some can't. I think
the hardest thing is, that's when you really need some leadership to make guys
realize that."

Michigan State didn't play well on defense as Ohio State's
Aaron Craft tore the Spartans with 20 points and nine assists. He beat them
from outside and then when he got in the lane, Derrick Nix committed a flagrant
foul that killed the Spartans' momentum.

There was miscommunication along the way. And a bizarre bad
break for Michigan State when Adreian Payne was whistled for basket
interference for grabbing the rim while playing defense. As the miscues
mounted, patience wore thin.

"We kind of got down on each other tonight," Michigan State
sophomore Branden Dawson said. "We were talking back. A couple of guys were
just out of it a little bit. We can definitely bounce back from this loss."

Said Izzo: "We didn't
play very smart. That's a major disappointment to me. That's an embarrassment to
me.